Device for making up a weft to be used in connection with a loom



April 9, 1968 1.. TE STRAKE 3,376,901

DEVICE FOR MAKING UP A WEFT TO BE USED IN CONNECTION WITH A LOOM Filed Nov. 2, 1965, 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 9, 1968 1.. TE STRAKE DEVICE FOR MAKING UP A WEFT TO BE USED IN CONNECTION WITH A LOOM Filed Nov. 2, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet United States Patent 3,376,901 DEVICE FOR MAKING UP A WEFT TO BE USED IN CONNECTION WITH A LOOM Lambertus Te Strake, Deurne, Netherlands, assignor to N.V. Machinefabriek L. Te Strake, Deurne, Netherlands, a Dutch company Filed Nov. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 506,067 Claims priority, application Netherlands, Nov. 3, 1964,

4-12,785 8 Claims. (Cl. 139-127) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLQSURE A device for making up a weft to be used in connection with a loom, comprising apparatus for taking up a measured length of thread drawn from a thread package, which apparatus is associated with a blowing device for inserting such measured length of thread from said apparatus into the shed of the loom by jet action, at least two channels forming part of said apparatus, each of which is in the form of a shaft for receiving a loop constituting a portion of such measured length of thread, each of which has one end debouching into a central chamber that is common to the channels and is connected to the blowing device, and each of which has at its other end an outlet for withdrawal of a stream of air to .draw such loop into the channel.

Background of the invention This invention relates to a loom provided with a shaft for taking up a loop in a measured length of a thread by suction action, which thread is drawn from a thread package, one end of said shaft being connected to a suction device and the opposite end of said shaft cooperating with a blowing device for inserting said measured length from the shaft into the shed by jet action.

Such a loom is described in my U.S. Patent 3,024,814.

In the loom described in that patent the mouth of the shaft is positioned at a distance from the blowing device. It is also possible to provide the blowing device as an integral part of the shaft, which shaft has a flat internal space adapted as a blowing device. Such a shaft is described in my U.S. Patent 3,137,322. Depending on the width of the loom the shaft must have a definite length to be able to take up the weft length in the shape of a loop. If the width of the loom is large the length of the shaft must be considerable.

More particularly the invention relates to a device for making up a weft having a shaft, in which the length of the shaft is less than the length of the loop to be used for the weft.

Summary of the invention According to the invention this is attained in that the internal space of the shaft possesses a central chamber, into which two or more channels debouch, which channels are adapted as separate shafts, which separate shafts at their ends opposite to the ends debouching into the central chamber are connected to a suction device.

Preferably the channels converge in the direction of the central chamber. Further it is advantageous that the.

A shaft according to the invention can be connected immediately to a blowing device, because the central chamber merges into a suction channel for supplying secondary air to the blowing device and the central chamber is provided with a separate entrance for the thread.

An embodiment of a device for making up a weft to be used in connection with a loom will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Brief description of the drawing FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through a device according to the invention, which device comprises a shaft connected to a blowing device and an auxiliary shaft.

FIG. 2 is a cross section along the line IIII in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a loom provided with a device according to the invention.

Description of the preferred embodiments The warp threads of a loom are indicated in FIG. 1 with the reference numeral 1. Further a part of the reed 2 is visible in this figure. A blowing device 3 is positioned laterally of the reed 2 and laterally of the shed.

Said blowing device 3 is provided with a shaft generally indicated by the reference numeral 4. This shaft is adapted to take up a loop of a thread 5, which is drawn from the thread package 7 by means of the rollers 6. The rollers 6 rotate with a constant speed depending on the working speed of the loom. An auxiliary shaft 8 is situated between the shaft 4 and the rollers 6. The operation of this auxiliary shaft is described in U.S. Pat- 'ent 3,137,322.

The mouth 9 of the auxiliary shaft 8 is situated in front of an entrance 10 in the side wall of a central chamber 11 of the shaft 4. Three channels 12a, 12b and merge into the central chamber 11. Each channel has in its interior a flat cleft with widened sides as described in U.S. Patent 3,024,814. As appears from FIG. 1 the channels converge in the direction of the central chamber 11 of the shaft 4.

The ends of the channels opposite to the ends merging into the central chamber are connected to a suction device. In the embodiment shown in the drawing the ends of the channels, which are connected to a suction device are provided with an opening, which can be closed by a valve. The channels 12a, 12b and 120 are thus provided with valves 13a, 13b and respectively.

Further each channel is provided with an opening, which can be closed by a valve 14. These openings not only eliminate a pressure wave within the shaft as described in U.S. Patent 3,110,325, but also permit air to enter the shaft when the blowing device becomes operative. Air thus entering the shaft can flow through the central chamber and enters as secondary air into the channel 15, which is within an annular nozzle 16 for primary air under pressure.

The air flows through the mixing tube 17 during insertion of a weft into the shed.

The thread is sucked through the entrance 10 and preferably the channels 12a, 12b and 12c will be successively operative.

In order to make clear the operation of the shaft it is assumed that a part 5a of the thread is already inserted into the shed. This part further runs through the mixing .tube 17 and the channel 15 to the entrance 10 of the central chamber 11. When the operation of the blowing device 3 is interrupted and a fresh loop of the thread is to be taken up by the shaft firstly the valve 13a of the channel 12a opens. Now a reduced pressure is created in the channel 12a and air enters through the entrance 10 3 of the central chamber 11 into the channel 12a; consequently a loop of the thread is drawn into the channel 12a. This loop then lies in the enlarged edge portions 18 of the channel 1211.

Further the valve 13b of the opening in channel 12b is then opened and a loop of the thread is drawn into this channel 12b. Thereafter the valve 130 is opened and a loop of the thread is drawn into channel 12c.

Thread guide rollers 20a and 201) are positioned in the central chamber 11 in front of the ends of partition walls 19a and 1% respectively between the channels.

Parts of the thread from which loops are taken up by the channels run around the guide rollers 20a and 20b. A measured length of the thread is thus taken up by the shaft in shape of three loops and each loop is positioned in a definite channel 12a, 12b or 120.

Preferably the rollers 20a and 20b are displaceably mounted in front of the channels, in such a way that the channels 12a and 12b are closed by the guide rollers 20a and 2012 when the thread, after being severed from the thread supply, is drawn out of the channel 120 by the operation of the blowing device 3. Further the roller 20b is then displaced from the channel 12b to the end of the partition wall 1% and the loop of the thread can be drawn out of the channel 1212 by the operation of the blowing device 3. In the same way the roller 20a is to be displaced from the channel 12a to the partition wall 19a, when the loop is to be removed from channel 12a.

An operation in reversed sequence is also possible in which the loop is firstly drawn out of the channel 12a, further out of the channel 12b and then out of the channel 12c. The operation of the rollers is then to be reversed.

When the blowing device 3 becomes operative the part a remaining in the mixing tube can not be firstly blown into the shed, if the first loop of the thread is drawn out of the channel 120.

The free end of the thread is sucked into the shaft through the entrance 10.

This free end of the thread is obtained by the action of a cutting device generally indicated by the reference numeral 21 at the entrance 10. As soon as the free end 0f the thread enters the central chamber 11 this free end will be conveyed to the channel 15 by the action of the secondary air.

As soon as the free end enters the mixing tube 17, the weft is blown into the shed with a great velocity. The guide roller 20b thereupon moves from in front of the channel 121) to a position in front of the partition wall 19b, owing to which a loop can be drawn from the channel 12b.

Further the roller 20a then moves from the position in front of the channel 12a to a position in front of the partition wall 19a and a loop can be drawn from the channel 12a and is blown into the shaft 4. The shed is now entirely free from loops or stretched thread parts. The leading end of the thread supply, which extends through the shaft 8 and between the rollers 6 towards the thread package 7, is held during and after the cutting operation by the cutting device 21. When the blowing device 3 becomes inoperative and the shaft 4 is connected to the suction device, a new loop of the thread is sucked into the shaft 4 in such a way that initially a loop is drawn into the channel 12a, whereafter a loop is drawn into the channel 12b and finally a loop is present in the channel 120.

The leading end of the thread is then released from the cutting device 21 and enters the central chamber 11.

When the blowing device 3 becomes operative, this end is moved from the central chamber 11 to the channel 15 and further to the blowing device and is finally blown into the shed.

In the method of weft insertion described above, the wefts are arranged in the fabric in a hairpinlike manner, .i.e., both legs of the hairpin-shaped weft are beaten between the warp threads and the intermediate part is adjacent the selvage of the fabric.

Instead of the hairpin-like arrangement of the weft, it is also possible to introduce the weft singly, i.e., not in the shape of a hairpin; in that case, the thread is straight and has its free ends at the selvages of the fabric.

In this case, a cutting device is positioned between the shed and the mixing tube 17 and the thread is not cut off by the cutting device 21. The provision of a cutting device between the shed and the blowing device is generally known per se. Timing of the valves 13a, 13b and 130, the rollers 20a and 20b and the blowing device 3 can be effected by means of a cam shaft rotating synchronously with the main drive shaft of the loom, if desired by the interposition of a reduction gear train. This cam shaft has been shown diagramatically in the drawing. Three cams 23a, 23b and 230 of the part 22 of this shaft control the levers 24 of the valves 13a, 13b and respectively. The part 22a of the shaft, which has been shown separately, can also be provided with cams for controlling the rollers 20a and 20b. The rollers 20a and 201) can be driven simultaneously or, as has been shown in the drawing, separately, by means of a cam 25a for the roller 20a and a cam 25b for the roller 20b. Further the shaft portion 22a can be provided with a cam 26 for controlling the blowing device 3 through a lever 27.

As appears from FIG. 3 the device of FIG. 1 can be positioned in the left side frame structure 28a of the loom. A similar device is situated in the right side frame structure 28b.

A loom provided with pneumatic weft inserting apparatus comprises in the usual manner a cloth beam 29, a reed 2 and heddles 30 for the warp threads 1. The main shaft 4 is visible in the left side frame structure 28a. Further the thread package 7 the rollers 6 and the auxiliary shaft 8 are visible. Further the blowing device 2b of the weft inserting device arranged in the right side frame structure 28b of the loom is also visible.

I claim:

1. A device for making up a weft to be used in connection with a loom, comprising apparatus for taking up a measured length of thread drawn from a thread package, which apparatus is associated with a blowing device for inserting such measured length of thread from said apparatus into the shed of the loom by jet action, wherein the improvement comprises at least two channels forming part of said apparatus, each of which is in the form of a shaft for receiving a loop constituting a portion of such measured length of thread, each of which has one end debouching into a central chamber that is common to the channels and is connected to the blowing device, and each of which has at its other end an outlet for withdrawal of a stream of air to draw such loop into the channel.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the channels converge towards the central chamber.

3. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cross section of each channel decreases towards the end that debouches into the central chamber.

4. A device according to claim 1 characterized in that a roller system is provided in the central chamber and th echannels are separated by partition walls and the roller system is positioned in front of the partition walls between two adjacent channels.

5. A device according to claim 4 characterized in that the roller system can be moved laterally in front of the channels.

6. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the central chamber merges into a suction channel for supplying secondary air to the blowing device.

7. A device according to claim 1, characterized by a separate entrance for the thread in the side wall of the central chamber.

8. A loom having a device for making up a Weft, comprising apparatus for taking up a measured length of thread drawn from a thread package, which apparatus is associated with a blowing device for inserting such "measured length of thread from said apparatus into the ,shed of the loom by jet action, wherein the improvement comprises at least two channels forming part of said apparatus, each of which is in the form of a shaft for receiving a loop constituting a portion of such measured length of thread, each of which has one end debouching into a central chamber that is common to the channels, and is connected to the blowing device, and each of which has at its other end an outlet for withdrawal of a stream of air to dnaw such loop into the channel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,096,283 5/ 1914 Brooks 139-127 5 3,024,814 3/1962 Te Strake 139-127 3,110,325 11/1963 Te Strake 139-127 3,137,322 6/1964 Ie Strake 139-127 3,233,634 2/1966 K0 Bayashi 139-127 3,237,654 3/1966 Hentz et al 139-127 10 3,250,299 5/1966 Scheffel 139-127 FOREIGN PATENTS 954,147 4/1954 Great Britain.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Acting Primary Examiner. 15 I. KEE CHI, Assistant Examiner. 

